Have you ever imagined your favorite literary heroine and suddenly felt a surge in your blood as if their hands are on your shoulders, their power and strength and compassion pooling through every part of your body, lighting you up from within?

Perhaps you're on the cusp of something great like a new adventure or passionate love. Maybe you're preparing for something you've dreaded like finals or a new job. It's in these moments that we dig deep and think of women we've idolized in literature, both fiction and non.

I'll be honest: when I first saw the cover for The Women in the Castle, I thought it was a fictional tale, perhaps set in medieval times or in a fantastical land, where a queen or princess was being held against her will. How far off was I?

The female protagonists are anything but helpless.

The novel by Jessica Shattuck opens to a grand party set in 1938 Germany, the country on the cusp of a new and dangerous time.

When it’s time to start the next book on your TBR list, are you more of a paperback, ebook, or audio book lover? Do you mix and match depending on the occasion, or have you found yourself drawn to one format no matter what's on the agenda?

Personally, I’ve always been a fan of a physical book. There's something about having a tangible weight in my hands—the sound of pages being turned, to keep me grounded as I head into a new adventure. Recently, however, I found this amazing app called Libby.